Chie Hoshinomiya quickly hit it off with Honami Ichinose and the other girls in the class. They chatted happily, with no sign of stopping.
The story's description of Chie Hoshinomiya was way too conservative. This teacher doesn't act like a teacher at all.
Yun Lan silently complained to himself.
After a while, someone finally couldn't sit still any longer.
"Sensei!"
A boy sitting in front of Yun Lan stood up and asked Chie Hoshinomiya, "The enrollment guide says each class's homeroom teacher will explain the school rules. Tuition is free, but the guide doesn't say anything about living expenses or food."
Looking at the boy, Yun Lan thought, So that's Ryuji Kanzaki. A calm analysis, and he's already pointed out the key issue. No wonder he's Honami's strategist in the original story.
"That won't do, Kanzaki."
Chie Hoshinomiya put one hand on her hip and rattled on, "Being impatient is a big no-no for a popular man. You need to keep a cool head to handle problems better. If you want a girlfriend, you have to be more mature and steady. At least, I like mature, steady men. Got it?"
When she finished, Chie Hoshinomiya smiled and clapped her hands, telling everyone to sit down.
"When you enrolled, you should all have received a school-issued terminal. Open it now and see if 100,000 points have been deposited into your accounts." Chie Hoshinomiya smiled as she spoke.
"Wow, a hundred thousand!" A girl in the front row couldn't help exclaiming under her breath.
"Do we get this much every month?" A bespectacled boy beside her adjusted his glasses. With a scholarly air of caution, he raised his hand and asked, "Hoshinomiya-sensei, may I ask if these points will be given out like this every month?"
Standing at the lectern, Hoshinomiya-sensei wore her usual reassuring smile, which didn't waver in the slightest. Spring sunlight streamed through the clean glass windows, casting a soft golden glow over her gentle profile. Her voice was even, imbued with a quiet authority, and carried clearly to every student:
"Yes."
She paused briefly, as if giving those two words time to leave a firm impression in the young hearts before her. The classroom was so quiet that the faint breeze outside could be heard. Every gaze was fixed on her.
"Each student's personal points," she continued, her tone still gentle, though every word landed firmly, "will be deposited into your accounts in full, on the first of every month."
As she spoke, she leaned forward slightly and let her gaze sweep slowly over the students' varied expressions—expectation, curiosity, and perhaps a trace of anxiety. Her eyes seemed to meet each of theirs briefly and earnestly, as if silently conveying a promise.
Then she straightened and added in a clearer, more assured voice, as though dispelling any doubts:
"And please be sure to remember: this will happen every month. Your personal points will be deposited on time, as scheduled. This is not only school policy, but also a form of ongoing support for each of you."
When she finished, she didn't immediately look away. Instead, she let her gentle assurance linger in the air for a few seconds. A faint, collective sigh of relief rose in the classroom, soon replaced by the rustling of pen tips across paper and the quiet sounds of students shifting in their seats. Hoshinomiya-sensei took it all in, her smile deepening just a little. It was the calm satisfaction of seeing important information received and understood.
Heh. She said the corresponding points would be given out every month, not 100,000 points. I'm sure a few people in the class have already noticed the hint.
Yun Lan thought silently.
Chie Hoshinomiya continued, "At this school, points can buy you anything. The opening ceremony is this afternoon, so you're dismissed for now. Yun Lan, stay behind."
Yun Lan was a little surprised that Chie Hoshinomiya wanted him to stay. He then gave Honami Ichinose a reassuring look.
Honami Ichinose had no choice but to leave the classroom with the other girls in her class.
Chie Hoshinomiya waited until most of the students had left.
"Come with me. The chairman wants to see you."
Yun Lan silently followed his homeroom teacher.
A little while later, Yun Lan and Chie Hoshinomiya arrived at Chairman Sakayanagi's office.
As soon as Yun Lan entered, he saw the back of a girl who looked very refined and elegant, along with Chairman Sakayanagi chatting with her.
"Chairman Sakayanagi, you wanted to see me?"
Since there was an outsider present, Yun Lan addressed Chairman Sakayanagi by his title.
"What are you talking about, child? There are no outsiders here. We're all family, and your homeroom teacher should know what's going on too," Chairman Sakayanagi said with a smile.
Chie Hoshinomiya was curious about the student who had been transferred into Class B, but this wasn't the time to ask.
"All right, Uncle Sakayanagi. May I ask who this lady is?"
Yun Lan asked without either deference or disrespect.
"This is Miss Yukino Yukinoshita."
At the sound of her name, the girl gave a slight nod, the corners of her lips lifting into a perfectly measured smile. She wore the girls' uniform of Sobu High, its neatly tailored dark blazer making her skin look even fairer. Her pleated skirt swayed gently as she moved. Her bright, forthright gaze settled on him, appraising him without seeming either shy or overly sharp.
"Miss Yukino took time out of her day to visit you," Chairman Sakayanagi said, his voice growing gentler, as if sharing a pleasant secret. "She attends Sobu High, which is an excellent school, and I hear she's always been at the top of her class."
Chairman Sakayanagi turned to Yukino, his eyes full of approval, then looked back at Yun Lan, his words carrying even more conviction.
"I've just had a chance to talk with Miss Yukino. She's so poised and well-spoken, and very knowledgeable." He paused briefly, as if searching for just the right words, then continued slowly and clearly, as though he had chosen each one with care:
"She really is a very, very exceptional young woman."
For a moment, the room fell silent. The sunlight shifted slowly, dust motes floating in the air. Yukino Yukinoshita maintained her flawless, faint smile, though the depths of her eyes seemed to hold a fleeting glimmer, faint and difficult to read.
Yun Lan was taken aback, then said, "Miss Yukino, that engagement was just a joke between our elders. Even without it, the Yun Family would still help the Yukinoshita Family through its difficulties."
"You're joking, Mr. Yun. I've been looking forward to meeting you for a long time," Yukino replied calmly after hearing what Yun Lan said.
Yukino's really not easy to handle. If I agree to the engagement, what about Honami? Yun Lan silently considered his options.
"Students at Advanced Nurturing High School aren't allowed to contact the outside world during their three years here, let alone leave campus. There's nothing I can do, unfortunately," Yun Lan said regretfully.
"Ahem, you can do that. I'll allow you to contact the outside world, and you can leave school during holidays and summer and winter breaks. This is compensation for you. You were supposed to be in Class A, but Arisu was worried about not having a worthy opponent, so she asked me to put you in Class B, and I agreed," Chairman Sakayanagi said unhurriedly.
Yukino looked at Yun Lan's speechless expression, stood up, then leaned close to his ear and breathed against it, teasing, "I'm looking forward to the story between us, my dear fiancé."
Before you continue